Thursday, November 7, 2013

Luciano

I was introduced to Luciano by my friend Jean in 2012. At
the time, Luciano was a young man who touched Jean’s heart with his story, his
pride, and his dedication to the sport they shared, Jiu-jitsu.I too, would be touched by these attributes.

In 2012 Luciano was training jiu-jitsu in a tattered karate
gi. Jean made a connection with Hyperfly (www.doordie.com)and they donated a new gi for him to wear.
Luciano competed in this gi during the September 2012 Copa BJJ tournament. The Carly Stowell Foundation provided support
and sponsorship for this tournament. Over 350 children from the Projetos Social
in Rio were able to attend.

When I returned to Rio de Janeiro in August 2013 I was
reacquainted with Luciano. We trained together at Top Brother gym in the
municipality of Meier. Here is more of his story.

Luciano hails from Japeri, a neighborhood in southeast Rio
de Janeiro. He describes his situation there as “poor, small and
difficult.”The Japeri favela atmosphere
is violent and bears the unfortunate stigma, in Luciano’s words, of being “the
most miserable municipality with the most AIDS.”

To train at the gym in Meier, Luciano travels two and a half
hours by bus. He has been training for
four years and is currently a second degree blue belt. Luciano has one of the most ferocious guards I
have encountered. He is a tenacious grappler despite having no arms below the
elbow. For years, Luciano’s disability
kept him from participating in the common activities that kept his peers
engaged throughout the day.Jiu-jitsu
found him when he went to watch a friend train. Master Cezar Guimaraes (Cashquinha)
had developed a project in Japeri to keep children and teenagers off of the
streets. Luciano, with little else to do, went along to watch his friend, but
shied from participation because he was ashamed of his scars and missing limbs.
One day his friend dragged him onto the mat and started to play-grapple with
him. His friend showed him what it felt like to train. Luciano was hooked. He
began training and never looked back.

For a long time, Luciano didn’t look forward. He was
disabled at a very young age and he had always known life to be difficult. Luciano was four months old when his mother
left him in the care of his alcoholic grandfather.That evening there was a power failure and
his grandfather, who had been drinking, lit several candles in the home. Luciano
was sleeping on a cot when a candle fell over and started a fire. His
grandfather ran from the home and was too drunk to remember that Luciano was in
the cot. Luciano had third degree burns on his arms and serious burns on his
head.His arms were amputated at the
elbow.

Luciano’s family generates a meager income reselling fruit
and vegetables in their neighborhood.The Brazilian government provides a small family benefit by way of the
social program Bolsa Familia; the
equivalence of $35 USD per month(1). In February 2011 26% of the
Brazilian population received assistance through Bolsa Familia(2).Brazil has a program for person with disabilities, The Continuous Cash
Benefit Programme(3) (BPC, Beneficio de Prestação Continuada),
however Luciano does not receive any funds through this program. Why he does
not receive benefits through this program is unknown to me, but dissemination
of information about this program is said to be a weak point. The number of
steps a recipient must go through to be approved also appears cumbersome.

Despite the daily challenges Luciano faces he maintains a
positive attitude. Where he once would not run shirtless in the street or go
without a hat and show his scarring, he now does many things “like a normal
person”, such as play soccer and ride a bike.He expressed his attitude this way, “Every day I have respect for
everyone, no matter who, especially for children. I want to show that people
with disabilities, there is no difficulty they cannot do.”

During my visit in August 2013, Jean and I presented Luciano
with a small backpack of clothes; Jordan basketball shorts my sons had
outgrown, a pair of Nikes and some t-shirts. He was stunned and appreciative,
thanking us over and over again. The look on his face after he asked, “I can
keep the bag?”and we smiled and said,
“Yes, of course”, is one of my fondest memories of the trip. To help someone
who is genuinely grateful and who finds joy in the community of jiu-jitsu was
an honor for us.

Luciano’s goals are not unlike those of any jiu-jitsu
competitor, “to be a champion.” He has already placed second and third in
tournaments. The barriers people place upon him are motivation to succeed.“Many people think that I am not able to give
all my best, but I can show in the way I train that one day I can achieve my
goal to be a champion.”

[In Brazil] 30% of
persons with disabilities receive less than the minimum wage.

International Disability Rights Monitor, ‘Regional Report
of the Americas’, 2004

About 80-90% of persons
with disabilities are unemployed or outside the work force. Most of those who
have jobs receive little or no monetary remuneration.

World Bank, ‘Disability and inclusive development: Latin
America and the Caribbean’, 2004